


But Soft, What Light

by Blargnaught



Series: Naked Neighbors [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alt chapters to a different fic, Blowjobs, Getting Together, Jealousy, Lance's A+ flirting technique, M/M, Not that Keith ever notices, Shiro is more proactive than Keith, Shiro's sense of humor is dry as the desert, shiro's pov, talking about feelings, threesome negotiations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-12 11:53:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10490328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blargnaught/pseuds/Blargnaught
Summary: The apartment across from Keith and Shiro's is no longer empty, and that's great, fine, whatever. Except their patio door faces his patio door and....well....The guy seems to have a thing against wearing clothes. And curtains. And it started off just kind of annoying, but this is really starting to get out of hand, ok? Send help!orKeith is Oblivious and Sullen, Lance is Usually Mostly Naked and Shiro is both Amused and Aroused. (Shiro's version of Through Yonder Window Breaks)





	1. Tighty Whities (Side B)

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is part two in a series. If you have not read "Through Yonder Window Breaks," you will be very confused starting about midway through chapter two. These two fics take place around the same time, occasionally cover the same events, and reference each other a lot. (The other fic is strictly from Keith's POV. This is what Shiro's up to while Keith is being a pine tree. They aren't really stand alone.)

1.

Shiro is ....confused.

 

He's looking at this picture from Keith, of some guy in his underwear and he just...

 

He's just so confused.

 

_apartment across the way isn't empty anymore._ the body of the text reads.

 

Shiro looks at the pic again, just in case he's missing something. It's a little blurry -- the guy must have been moving around or something when Keith snapped it -- but even with the poor quality, Shiro can tell the guy is attractive. Attractive, and also really not Keith's type, at all. So why is he sending pictures of him to Shiro? It can't be the nudity, because Keith isn't really the type of person to care that much about stuff like that, so long as the guy isn't waving his junk in Keith's face.

 

_Is he in his underwear?_ he sends back, because he figures that that will go over better than _So what?_

 

All he gets in return is a _Yeah_ , though, which is about as non-committal as Keith can get. He picks up his pace a little, because his husband senses are tingling and he needs to see what's going on for himself.

 

_He's cute._

 

_I guess?_

 

_r u being a creeper?_

 

_no. I was on the balcony first_

 

He types out _then go back inside, if he's bothering you_ , the deletes it, because if Keith were really bothered he _would_ have gone inside already, maybe even called the super. Probably started a fight. So, he's bothered enough to text Shiro but not bothered enough to be his usual proactive self about it.

 

Hmm.

 

Shiro suddenly really, really wants to see this guy for himself.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Which of course means that the guy just straight up isn't there by the time Shiro gets home, which is kind of disappointing. What's more interesting though, is that Keith seems more put out by this than the situation really warrants, in Shiro's humble opinion. He keeps....migrating to the windows, but refusing to actually look out of them. Then he gets mad when Shiro does it for him. It's cute. Really, _really_ cute, actually: Shiro hasn't seen Keith with a crush in a long, long time, and he can't really resist teasing him, just a little.

 

Ok, maybe more than a little.

 

So maybe he teases him enough that Keith finally gets fed up with him and drags him to the bedroom to shut him up. He's willing to call that a win.


	2. The Balcony Scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shiro is proactive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be grading papers right now. Grades are supposed to be in Friday. My stack of stuff if like, two inches thick. 
> 
> Oh well. Imma write floof instead.

2.

 

Shiro's biggest weakness is probably his curiosity. He is enough of an adult that he can admit that. And although he was generally sneakier about it, Keith was just as bad; They had spent their childhoods poking their collective noses into things that didn't need to be poked and getting each other in and out of some...interesting situations.

 

Shiro is wondering is this slowly escalating... _thing_.... with their neighbor is going to end up being one of those situations, or if maybe everything will work out in their favor, for once.

 

It seems relatively harmless: He watches Keith scowl and pine obviously but silently across the fifteen feet separating their respective patios; he watches their neighbor grin and wink and flirt shamelessly and silently back. He thinks of two cats on opposite sides of a window, a house cat and a Tom cat on the prowl, and can almost see Keith's imaginary tail puffing with indignation every time their cheeky new friend sashays across his line of sight, usually with a smile or a wink and a sway of delectably slim hips.

 

It's hilarious. Even more so because Keith doesn't seem to realize that he's doing it specifically to rile him up.

 

It's also dangerous, though.

 

He's aware that he and Keith are...unconventional. Not just because they are two married men, but because they have never had any qualms about inviting others to join them in bed and sometimes even in their romantic lives. It makes approaching potential lovers difficult, because it is never Shiro taking another lover or Keith finding someone to occupy his time when he's not with Shiro: They are a package deal, the two of them, and it makes people...uncomfortable. Defensive. Possessive. It makes them feel like they have to compete, and it's turned out...poorly for them in the past. Never mind the difficulty of finding someone that suits both their tastes. The fact that Keith had latched onto someone so unlike his usual choices is interesting enough for Shiro 's curiosity to be piqued.

 

The fact that their neighbor also hits most of Shiro's criteria is beside the point, or course.

 

So he watches. He returns waves. He smiles back. He prompts Keith to do more than his best impression of a grumpy owl whenever their neighbor struts around like a mostly naked peacock. He wonders if this is going to go somewhere, or if this is as far as both parties are willing to take things.

 

Then, one morning as he's preping for his usual pre-work jog, he spots their neighbor on his patio in a bathrobe and mud mask, leaning on the low safety wall with a steaming cup of coffee by his elbow, quietly watching the sunrise, a far away, wistful look on his face. It's a surprisingly pretty picture. It also, for some reason that he can't quite put his finger on, strikes him as a little sad.

 

Something in Shiro's belly swoops.

 

He's slipping out onto his own patio door before he really thinks about it. The sound shakes the guy out of whatever thoughts he had been entertaining and he turns his head towards his way, a small smile crinkling the mask around his mouth. He seems completely unembarrassed about the green goo slathered all over his skin. Shiro's not surprised, but he is a little taken aback by the warm burst of fondness that unabashedness pulls from him.

 

"Morning." He says. It's the first time Shiro has heard his voice, for all the non-verbal communication that's been flying back and forth between their windows lately. It's as warm and friendly as his smiles are.

 

Shiro leans on his own patio wall, facing the sunrise as well, but holding his neighbor's eyes. He kind of wishes he were close enough to tell their color.

 

"Morning." He responds. "You're up early. I never see you this time of day."

 

The guy shrugs, picks up his coffee and fiddles with the mug. It draws Shiro's attention to his hands.They are long and thin. Shiro wonders if he has ever played the piano. Suddenly, he wants very badly to know.

 

"Summer semester. Early class." The guy yawns, tries to cover it up by lifting his mug to his lips. "Figured if I had to be up at the ass crack of dawn, I might as well enjoy the damn sunrise."

 

Shiro huffs a laugh and files away _student_ for further contemplation.

 

"Not a morning person?" He asks. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting your zen time. I can--" He trails off and jerks a thumb over his shoulder, offering to leave, but his neighbor waves a hand dismissively.

 

"Nah, you're good, man. Just don't expect too much brilliant conversation out of me this early. I don't know how I'm going to survive this--" he cuts himself off with another yawn "--seven o'clock freaking class." He blinks sleepily a couple of times (it's a surprisingly vulnerable gesture. It makes Shiro's mothering instincts twitch) then gives Shiro a very obvious up and down. "You're way prettier to look at then the sunrise anyway." he says.

 

Shiro laughs, can feel a blush working its way across his cheeks. "Why thank you." He says graciously, because who is he to turn down such an earnestly delivered complement. "You're not so bad yourself."

 

This seems to surprise the guy; His smile fades just a bit before coming back stronger, a little crooked at the edges and, Shiro realizes, a little shy. That's unexpected. He files away _surprised by complements_ to examine later.

 

"So," he says, because he can sense an awkward silence on the horizon. "Summer classes?"

 

"Yeaaaaah." He guy sighs. He takes a large gulp of his drink and makes a face. "Ow. Hot. I'm trying to finish up my pre-recs so I can start back as a junior in the fall."

 

"What major?"

 

"Interdisciplinary, at the moment." His nose wrinkles. "S'a fancy way of saying I don't know what the fuck I'm doing, but I'm doing it anyway." His grin turnes cheeky. "Story of my life."

 

Shiro laughs, an honest belly laugh at that and the guy's face kind of lights up the way it had when Shiro had waved back to him, that first time.

 

"You'll get along with Keith, then." He determines. The guy perks up a bit, openly curious.

 

"Keith your boyfriend?" His tone doesn't _quite_ hit casual. Shiro feels his grin widening.

 

"Something like that." He agrees noncommittally. He pushes himself off the wall before the guy can pursue that (he's opening his mouth to do so, and Shiro can see something like a challenge in the tilt of his chin. He'll shelve that discussion for a another day though. Hopefully, it he dodges the question enough, it'll prompt him to ask Keith directly instead.) "Well, I'm off if I want to make it to work on time. I guess I'll be seeing more of you, then, if we're going to be getting up at the same time some mornings."

 

The guy blinks, surprised. Then his mouth lifts in that crooked, shy smile again.

 

"Yeah" He says. "guess so." He certainly doesn't sound unhappy about it.

 

Later, about half way through his shower, he realizes that they had never introduced themselves.

 

Oh well. What's in a name, anyway?


	3. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro makes a misstep but manages to turn it into progress, and learns something about himself along the way. Things are (probably) going to be ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IF YOU HAVE NOT READ CHAPTER 3 OF "THROUGH YONDER WINDOW BREAKS" YOU WILL BE VERY CONFUSED. This chapter is a follow up to that one.
> 
> I'm trying to catch this fic up to TYWB. I'm so behind, lol.

3.

 

And so it goes.

 

Shiro _does_ see more of his neighbor -- for all that he professes not to be a morning person (and he always looks wonderfully rumpled and sleepy) he is on his balcony at least three mornings a week after that, bright and early, waiting for Shiro with a steaming cup of coffee and a warm smile. Sometimes they just stand quietly, Shiro enjoying the morning air and his neighbor desperately trying to wake up enough to make it to class without falling on his face and sometimes they chat about whatever comes to mind: Shiro's job, the classes his neighbor is taking, Shiro's stint in the military, which brands of coffee are the best, why American coffee with always be inferior to Cuban coffee, whether or not coffee and redbull can actually substitute for breakfast in a pinch. When he's awake enough to talk in more than monosyllables, his neighbor is a really animated conversationalist: he talks with his hands, waving them around to illustrate points, fumbling with his coffee mugs, tugging on his hair, his clothes (even when he only shows up in boxers, which happens often) and Shiro can always gauge his interest in a subject by how loud he gets, which is handy, and also a welcome change from Keith's stubbornly stoic approach to feelings.

 

Shiro learns that his neighbor is the second youngest in a family of seven, the fifth to go to college, and the second to go to college in a foreign country. It takes him aback to learn that English is his second language, and a recently learned one at that.

 

"That's absolutely amazing!" He tells him, mostly because it's true, but also because he has learned that, while his new friend has no compunction against dishing out complements left and right, he's oddly hesitant to accept any that are thrown his way. Shiro's casual praise is usually met with flushed cheeks, darting eyes, bitten lips and crooked, shy smiles. It's endearing, but also distressing that he seems so unused to positive feedback.

 

The one thing that they don't really talk about is Keith. Oh, it's not for a lack of trying on his neighbor's part: he probably thinks he's being clever, trying different conversational tactics to get Shiro to drop any little piece of information about Keith that he can. Sometimes Shiro feeds him little tidbits, but mostly he gives vague, open ended answers in the hope that at some point his neighbor will just ask Keith with words instead of interpretive dance.

 

He starts to look forward to his mornings on the balcony, even starts to put off his morning runs to stretch the time out. He considers dragging Keith out of bed to join in too, but....well, he likes all of his limbs attached to his body, so he vetoes the idea and moves on.

 

And then one morning his neighbor walks out onto his balcony with a line of hickeys trailing down the soft flesh of his throat and disappearing into the collar of his robe and something sharp and hot twists in Shiro's gut. It's so unexpected a reaction that Shiro almost misses his half-awake good morning, mumbles something in return and hopes that he sounds passably normal while he wrestles with what is undeniably jealousy rearing its ugly head over a few love bites.

 

"You ok?" His neighbor asks, brows furrowing delicately. Shiro waves the question off, though the answer is a big fat 'no.'

 

"Didn't get a lot of sleep last night." Which is true. Watching his neighbor strip himself out of that suit had been an...educational experience. Watching Keith watch their neighbor strip himself out of his suit had been more so; Keith could deny his clothing fetish all he wanted, but Shiro had seen the proof in the hungry look on his face as the man across from them had slowly bared his skin, peeled aside layers of fabric, run his fingers delicately over the cloth before undoing the buttons...

 

Shiro shifts uncomfortably. He and Keith had left before...well, it wasn't like he hadn't known where that particular display had been headed, he just hadn't given it too much thought until he'd caught sight of the red and purple bruises marring his neighbor's skin. He isn't theirs ( _yet_ a part of him whispers), they aren't at that part of this little dance they are doing, if they are ever going to get there in the first place, so it shouldn't feel like a betrayal....

 

Except that it kind of does.

 

"Yeah, me neither." His neighbor yawns into his hand, oblivious. Shiro swallows, forcing himself to focus on the here and now. This is his time alone with this man, and he refuses to waste it dwelling on something that has nothing to do with him in the first place.

 

"I can see." He says, tapping the side of his own neck. He forces his voice to remain casual and light.

 

His neighbor slaps a hand to his throat, eyes going wide. Shiro can't see his cheeks under the mud mask he is wearing, but the tips of his ears go pink.

 

"Oh fuck me." He says. Shiro forces a grin.

 

"It certainly looks like someone did." He says. He's aiming for light and teasing, and he thinks he does a good job of keeping the possessive growl out of his voice. He's getting ahead of himself and...shit. His neighbor coughs, looks everywhere but at Shiro. The blush is working its way down his neck now.

 

"Uh...last night was my best friend's wedding and I was his best man, and I might have had a _little_ to much celebratory champagne." He makes a face. Shiro is torn between shrugging it off with a joke, because his neighbor is clearly starting to get uncomfortable, and the hot, unhappy feeling stuck behind his ribcage. "Anyway, she's the bride's sister and we were both...um....unaccompanied...." He trials off and peers sheepishly at Shiro, smile crooked and uncertain, and it's that that finally wins over the jealousy, because Shiro should not be the reason this guy is looks like he's expecting to be scolded. Because he's not Keith and Shiro's, no matter how much Shiro apparently wishes he were, and he has done nothing wrong.

 

"Ah champagne, the social lubricant of choice." He says, trying for a joke, and his neighbor laughs, but it's high and a little shaky. Their comfortable rapport is broken, a fissure of dissonance stretching the space between them because Shiro has apparently, somewhere along the way, jumped the gun on this whole relationship. Damnit, that was supposed to be Keith's thing, not his. "It was nice to see you fully dressed for once, though. I think Keith about had a heart attack over your suit." He says before he can really think about it. Anything to keep this from crumbling down around his ears. His neighbor looks a bit taken aback.

 

"When did you see...." his eyes go wide. "Oh shit, I'm sorry, I wasn't even thinking.... I was on the....and you....you probably saw...." he trails off into a garbled string of words, pressing his face into his hands, regardless of the green mask still on his face. Shiro didn't think his ears could turn any redder, but he had apparently thought wrong. Poor guy looked like he was about to spontaneously combust.

 

"We weren't trying to spy." Shiro says quickly (except that they kind of were) "sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. We...uh....were on the balcony when you came out. We left pretty quickly." A lie, but a little one. His neighbor peeks at him from between his fingers and Shiro really, really wants to give the guy a hug. A really big one. There is another long moment of tense, uncomfortable silence. Then, his neighbor says in an uncharacteristically small voice

 

"You liked the suit?"

 

Shiro lets out a breath he hadn't known he was holding and smiles. "Yes. It looked" _like something I'd like to rip off of you. With my teeth._ "really good on you. Keith says it was probably tailored?"

 

"Ah hah yes." His neighbor gives his face one last scrub with his hands, making a disgruntled noise when his mask smears onto his palms. He wiped them off on his boxers absently. "When I left for college, my dad insisted that I have at least one good suit 'just in case.'" he makes the air quotes with his fingers, which Shiro takes as a good sign -- if he's starting to talk with his hands, maybe things are ok. "It was my, um, going away present." He shrugs. "Last night was the first time I've worn it."

 

"Well Keith was certainly taken by it." Shiro says, grin widening when his neighbor tries and fails not to look too interested in this information. "He has a...um..thing for formal clothing." Shiro winks and watches with amusement as his neighbor's face runs through a handful of expressions before finally settling on a playful leer. He feels their equilibrium reestablishing itself. His relief is overwhelming.

 

"A _thing_ , huh?" he says. "Maybe I should dig through my closet for all the other really uncomfortable stuff I never wear."

 

"You'd drive him nuts." Shiro laughs. The guy smiles back, then eyes Shiro thoughtfully.

 

"What about you?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. His tone is still playful, but Shiro can hear the weight behind the words.

 

 _You've already driven me nuts._ he thinks in exasperation. Outwardly, he drags his eyes carefully over his neighbors body, lingering again on the marks on his neck. He raises an eyebrow of his own. "What about me?" He asks, challenging. His neighbor's lips part, a sliver of pink tongue darting out to wet them. Shiro follows the movement with his eyes, and knows that the guy can see him watching.

He takes a breath to say something. Shiro's watch beeps, letting him know that he needs to get going if he wants to make it to work on time. Shiro excuses himself with a friendly wave and a regretful smile, the moment broken.

 

That's ok though: hopefully, there will be more moments.

 


	4. About Fucking Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Shiro....discuss their dinner plans.
> 
> By which I mean the porn that was supposed to happen at the end of chapter 4 of TYWB actually happens here. (it's really short, sorry)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this really fast between migration from one job to the other. I will come back and look it over later before I get to grading. This officially catches BSWL up with TYWB, huzzah! Depending on how fast I get my grading done when I get home tonight I may or may not have time to do my usual update of TYWB. We shall see. If not, it just means I'll be posting two chapters tomorrow instead of one.
> 
> Please note that at this point if you have not read through chapter 4 of TYWB this will not make a lick of sense. FYI

4.

 

Honey, I'm Hohmmmph!"

 

Shiro barely manages to get the door closed behind him before Keith is on him, pressing him back against the wall, one hand fumbling with his belt, his tongue sliding into Shiro's mouth, cutting him off. The other hand pushes underneath his shirt and skims up the planes of his abs to his chest to tweak a nipple. Shiro drops his keys in surprise. The noise they make when they hit the hardwood floor is jarring. Keith tears his mouth away from Shiro's with a frustrated growl.

 

"He's driving me nuts." He snarls. Shiro makes a small 'Ah' of understanding. Must have been playing with the neighbor again. In that case, Shiro can kind of relate. He's been spending more time with his hand in the shower after their morning talks recently than he has actually getting clean.

 

Keith attacks his neck, nipping and sucking in a messy, desperate kind of way. He's already mostly hard against Shiro's thigh, which makes him raise an eyebrow -- what shenanigans were those two getting up to now, to get Keith _this_ worked up? Shiro doesn't have a direct line of sight to the patio from his angle, but the door is slightly ajar and he can hear strains of spanish pop music floating in on the breeze.

 

"We need to have sex now," Keith is saying "or I'm never making it through dinner. I'll just bend him over the table and fuck him until he screams."

 

Shiro's brain short circuts a bit on the mental image, so it takes him a minute to catch on to the more important part of that statement.

 

"Dinner?" He asks. Kieth hums, shoving Shiro's shirt up to his armpits, then continues to tug at it until Shiro obligingly takes it off.

 

"Yeah." He says. "He invited us over to his apartment. For, you know, food."

 

"You...you talked to him?" _All on your own?_? he doesn't add, because Keith is dropping to his knees and working his belt the rest of the way off and therefore has easy access to his testicles. 

 

"Yeah. Which you have apparently been doing this entire time without telling me." Keith's stare is accusing, and maybe his balls aren't that safe, after all.

 

"It was always _really_ early in the morning, and I know how violently you protest your beauty sleep being interrupted." He defends. Although, their neighbor isn't a morning person either, by his own admission, so if he and Keith can coax him into their bed...and get him to stay there...maybe Keith would finally have someone to wake up with and Shiro wouldn't have to feel a stab of guilt every time he slipped out from under his husband's arm to go for a jog or leave for work.

 

He can picture it maybe a little too well -- Keith's pale skin curled against their neighbor's dark tan, both sound asleep wrapped up in one another, sharing body heat, messy hair poking up above mussed sheets....

 

He really wants that. It hurts, how much he wants that. At this point, Shiro doubts this guy will turn them down, at least for the sex, but if he does....God.

 

It's going to be painful.

 

Keith makes a questioning noise between his legs and Shiro runs his hand through his hair apologetically. It has to work out this time.

 

Please, let it work out this time. Not just for him. For Keith too. Shiro could take the hit but Keith felt things so strongly, and rejection especially, given that his life had been so full of it.

 

"His name is Lance, by the way." Keith says, working Shiro's dick out of his underwear and stroking it until it's fully erect. "He said you guys never actually got around to introducing yourselves."

 

Shiro laughs, the sound tapering off into a soft moan when Keith sucks the head of his cock into his mouth. "Uh, yeah, now that you mention it, it just never seemed to come up." Keith's mouth sinks further down his shaft, hot and wet and perfect, sending waves of pleasure singing up his spine. His fingers burry themselves more firmly in Keith's hair and grip the way he knows his husband likes. It takes his sparking brain a moment to catch back up to the conversation. "'Lance,' huh?" Keith hums around his cock and Shiro groans. "You know, if kind of suits him."

 

Keith's tongue is an amazing thing: It works the underside of his dick with ease born of familiarity, pressing and stroking the thick vein underneath, dragging up up up until the tip of his tongue is drawing circles between the glands, then up over the head to the slit, into the slit and then he sucks....

 

And then repeats the whole process over again. Shiro tightens his grip in Keith's hair and pushes his dick in until he feels the head nudge the back of his throat, feels the muscles flutter as Keith swallows around him; He's not going to last very long if he keeps that up.

 

"What...uh." He takes a second to gether his scattered thoughts, loosens his grip on Keith's hair enough that he can lean back and off of his cock with a wet slurp. "What time is dinner supposed to be?"

 

Keith sits back on his heels and replaces his mouth with his hand, stroking him fast and firm. Shiro can see his cock tenting the pajama pants he's wearing -- he must have forgone underwear for the day.

 

"Four." he says. Shiro checks his watch and hums.

 

"This will have to be quick then, if you want to take a shower before we head over there."

 

Keith nods and leans back to his dick, pulling him in and beginning to suck in earnest. Shiro watches with half-lidded eyes, brushing his thumb encouragingly over his cheekbone. Keith really is very pretty, he thinks, fondness bubbling up in his chest. The two of them have been inseparable for most of their lives, growing up together, making mistakes together. Keith was his best friend, his comrade in arms, his first for a lot of things, and together they had pulled each other up out of the gutter, leaned on each other when things got difficult. And now they are going to tackle this new challenge together, this person that they both want, that they both hope wants them back, not separately, but as a whole unit, because Shiro isn't entirely sure that he can be a whole person by himself anymore. Not without Keith by his side. 

 

And maybe someday in the future, if they are really _really_ lucky, and if Shiro can keep Keith from putting his foot in his mouth long enough, and if Shiro and keep _Shiro_ from putting his foot in his mouth long enough, they will be able to expand that unit, to include Lance permanently. But that's far on the horizon, a distant maybe, a goal to work towards and tentatively hope for. Right now, they just have to worry about dinner.

 

Keith must notice his wandering attention because he does something with his tongue that makes Shiro's toes curl and slips a hand into his pants to pinch gently at the soft flesh connecting his thigh and his groin. Right, they've got forty-five minutes to get off and get ready. Ok then.

 

He wonders if Lance will appreciate Keith's tongue as much as he does.

 

The idea of Lance on his back with Keith between his thighs is enough to tip him over the edge into orgasm.

 

Keith works him through it, then sets back on his heels, all but ripping the pajama pants down his legs to free his own dick. It's leaking already and Shiro can't resist dropping to his knees and bending to take a taste. Keith makes a desperate little noise in the back of his throat and all but shoves his cock into his mouth. Shiro holds still and lets Keith thrust his hips as he pleases, one hand on the back of his head holding him in place as he moves in tight, desperate circles. It doesn't take long at all before he's spilling as well.

 

Shiro sits back when the grip on his head goes lax, licking his lips and raising an eyebrow. Keith flushes.

 

"Shut up." He says, tugging the pajamas back up. Shiro grins and holds up his hands in a gesture of peace.

 

"I didn't say anything."


	5. All Those Stolen Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A handful of fluff, a misunderstanding, a fight, and another awkward conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: If you have not read Chapter 5 of Through Yonder Window Breaks, this chapter will make no sense to you. 
> 
> Long chapter. Whooo. This week has sucked, so writing this was therapeutic. I'm not really happy with the last section, but I can come back and edit it some more later. I'm worried that Shiro comes off too much as a jerk, or Lance's reactions too abrupt, but idk. I tried to explain. I'll reread in the morning and see if I still dislike it after a good night's sleep.
> 
> Forgot to mention: The pole dancing thing is Dexxldot's suggestion :P It was a fun thought, I couldn't resist adding it.

Lance starts coming over more and more often and its...easy. Or rather, it gets easier; At first he's obviously hesitant: He still flirts and teases and riles Keith up, but he's a little stiff about actual physical contact, self conscious, always waiting for Shiro or Keith to make the first move, initiate the first touch. Keith is beside himself by the second week, but Shiro reigns him in, reminding him that the two of them are the married pair, the ones with history -- Lance does not have that comfort zone to fall back on when he is uncertain. They don't even know if he's ever participated in a relationship like theirs before, though if Shiro were a betting man he'd put his money on 'no.' It's a conversation that they are going to have to have sooner or later; At the very least they are going to need to have a follow up conversation about where they each want this relationship to go -- but for now, he thinks, they need to let Lance ease into this...thing... at his own pace, or they run the risk moving too fast for him and scaring him off. I wouldn't be the first relationship they had tried that ended that way. 

 

Keith responds in true Keith fashion by inviting Lance over to their next movie night and then manhandling him into Shiro's lap with him. It's a super awkward fit with Lance's long limbs, and more than a little uncomfortable for Shiro himself, but he doesn't dare dislodge the two of them once they are there, even when his legs start to tingle and go numb.

 

It's worth it, anyway, when Lance starts to relax increment by increment, so that by the end of the movie he has his head tucked into the curve of Shiro's neck and his legs tangled with Keith's and he's cracking truly horrendous jokes about the quality of the special effects. 

 

And if Keith looks unbelievably smug the next day when Lance greets them both with a kiss on his own initiative for the first time, Shiro figures that he probably deserves the victory, and doesn't say a word.

 

*~*~*~*

 

They have more dates: One night Shiro cooks. Another, Lance invites them both over to play video games and eat junk food (Shiro abstains from the food but kicks Lance's ass in Mortal Kombat). Their respective schedules are hectic -- Lance has a summer job and classes. Shiro and Keith both work forty hours a week, sometimes more, and odd hours at that -- but Lance and Shiro always meet up in the mornings to chat, occasionally with a bedraggled Keith in tow, and Shiro comes home more than once to find Keith and Lance in the midst of some joint endeavor -- or minor argument. 

 

One afternoon Keith insists that they go to see a movie together-- some action flick that he and Lance are both interested in, but that Shiro can't, for the life of him, remember the name of. He falls a little behind as they exit the theater, watching the two of them argue over some bit of trivial minutia, waving their hands excitedly and throwing casual insults back and forth. He thinks that he has never seen Keith this animated in public, thinks that Lance is beautiful when he's flushed and excited, thinks that it would be heaven if he could capture the moment in a bottle and keep it forever, this happy contentment he has somehow found for himself surrounded by the scents of popcorn and summer.

 

Lance turns to look at him and smiles.

 

"Why are you all the way back there?" He asks.

 

"Shiro, tell Lance why he's wrong." Keith says, reaching back for his hand. Shiro fits himself in between the two of them and says

 

"Oh I don't know, I thought the whole thing was kind of contrived. Five out of ten."

 

*~*~*~*

 

Shiro comes home one day about a week later and finds Lance laying on his stomach on the living room floor in a pair of swim trunks and nothing else, frowning over what could only be a text book.

 

"What are you reading?" He asks, sitting down next to him with a grunt. Lance pushes himself up onto his elbows and Shiro drops a quick kiss onto his forehead, stealing a glance at the glossy pages as he does.

 

"Physics." Lance sighs, dropping back down to rest his chin on his folded hands. "I got the book early. I did really poorly at algebra so I wanted to get kind of a head start? But this looks way easier. At least I can apply it to real life. Keith's taking a shower, by the way."

 

"Mmm." Shiro hums. He's half leaning on Lance to look over his shoulder but Lance doesn't seem to mind, flipping contentedly through his book. Shiro inhales deeply. Lance's hair smells like salt spray, sweat and sunlight. "You guys went to the beach?" He guesses. He's surprised Lance managed to get Keith anywhere near a beach -- too much sunshine in one place for vampire Keith. Lance makes a noise of affirmation.

 

"He went with me to get my books for this next semester and I convinced him to stop by for a bit with me."

 

"You bribed him with ice cream?" Shiro translates. Lance laughs, the sound a tangible thing where Shiro is pressed against the warm muscle of his back.

 

"I would never." He lies without a hint of shame, like he doesn't know the lengths Keith will go to for the chance to watch Lance lick ice cream off of a cone. Shiro doesn't bother to correct him. He's actually kind of sad he missed the chance to see it too. Maybe, he thinks, nuzzling into the back of Lance's neck and relishing the shudder and startled giggle he gets, a weekend trip is in order.

 

(When Keith finally gets out of the shower, Shiro has to re-evaluate: That's one hell of a sunburn.)

 

*~*~*~*

 

"So do you go to the gym, or what?" Keith asks one day, kind of out of the blue. Lance is watching Keith do stretches with a kind of laser focus that kind of reminds Shiro of a cat watching a bird on a windowsill.

 

"I swim. Jog sometimes." Lance says absently, licking his lips "Or I go to the dance studio."

 

"Dance studio?" Shiro asks, because of all the things he had pictured Lance doing for exercise, dance wasn't one of them.

 

"Mmm, but it's a little out of my way. I keep meaning to get a pole for my apartment, but I haven't been able to afford one yet, and I don't want one of the cheap ones."

 

Pole? It takes Shiro's brain a second to put two and two together and get fish. Keith's a little quicker on the uptake, and sits up out of his stretch so quickly Shiro hears something pop.

 

"Can I go to your next session?" He more demands than asks, eyes narrowed intently, like the fate of his entire world hinges on Lance's answer.

 

Lance's lips curve in a coy smile.

 

"Only if you give it a try too. And I want to be invited to your next judo class."

 

"Deal."

 

They shake on it, which might have struck Shiro as funny if his brain weren't a smoking pile of slag dribbling out his ears.

 

Lance turns to him with a knowing smirk.

 

"You going to come pole dancing with us, Shiro?" He asks, voice warm and amused.

 

"Yes." He says, and wonders if the double entendre was on purpose.

 

Probably. It's not like it changes his answer any, either way.

 

 

*~*~*~*

 

He does not, in fact, _come_ pole dancing with them, but it is a very near thing, and the knowledge of all of the positions Lance can contort his long, _long_ limbs into stays with him well after they leave the studio.

 

*~*~*~*

"Hey, Keith, did you want to see if Lance wants to -- oh, hi Lance."

 

Lance looks up at him, wide-eyed, then glances back down at Keith, who is in the middle of sucking a hickey into Lance's collarbone. He looks kind of like someone who has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar; When he looks back at Shiro his expression is caught between aroused and uncertain -- pupils blown wide, eyes wider, lip -- spit-shiny-wet, bright red, kiss-swollen -- caught between his teeth, cheeks flushed.

 

"Hi?" He squeaks. Shiro gives him what he hopes is a reassuring smile and hops up on the counter. Keith pays no mind to either of them and begins to move down Lance's body, pausing only to take a nipple in his mouth and suck on it. Lance jolts, moans, pushes into the stimulation, but his eyes never leave Shiro's.

 

"Hello." Shiro returns, voice pitching a little lower with the arousal that's heating his blood. "You look like you're having fun. Mind if I watch?"

 

"Suit yourself." Keith mutters into Lance's sternum. Lance's eyes go a little glassy and his bitten lips curve up in a smile.

 

"You just want to watch?" He asks, invitation clear in the purr of his voice. His shoulders relax, tension draining, and he brings one hand up to thread through Keith's hair, which Keith appreciates, if the little noise he makes is any indication.

 

"Mmm, for now, although I wouldn't mind a turn later if you're up for it." Lance's grin widens.

 

"Yeah." He breaths, moans when Keith bites at the curve of his ribs. "That sounds amazing." He holds Shiro's eyes for a moment longer, then tugs Keith back up by his hair. Keith goes willingly, presses Lance back into the counter and kisses him and kisses him and kisses him. Shiro doesn't blink, can't look away from the sight. He has a front row seat, can hear the slick, sloppy noises of tongue and teeth and lips, can see the spit collecting at the corners of theirs lips, can see the occasional flash of pink tongue as they part and come together over and over. Lance's hands have slipped over Keith's shoulders, down his back and are just nudging their way into his pants when Lance's cellphone, forgotten on the counter beside Shiro, goes off.

 

_I'm just a hunk, a hunk of burnin' love!_

_A hunk, a hunk of burnin' love!_

_A hunk, a hunk of burning love!_

 

"Oh shit." Lance swears, pulling back from the kiss and fumbling for his phone. Keith blinks, dazed, disheveled and a little put out. "Sorry, sorry!" Lance says as he pulls the phone to him and extricates himself from Keith's arms. He looks it too, mouth twisting in an apologetic grimace "But I really have to take this. I promised Hunk I'd help him move whenever he got off work."

 

Keith opens his mouth, probably to say something rude and start an argument, but Shiro beats him to it.

 

"It's fine, Keith has to be at work in an hour, so he should be getting ready to go soon anyway."

 

"Hey!"

 

"Thanks!" Lance catches Keith's eyes and holds them, winking "I'll make it up to you, promise!" Those blue, blue eyes flick back to Shiro. He licks his lips. "And I owe you a show, I think."

 

Then he's through their door and gone. Shiro's dick throbs with remorse.

 

Keith buries his head in Shiro's chest and makes a disgruntled noise. Shiro runs a soothing hand though his hair.

 

"I know buddy. I know."

 

*~*~*~*

 

It doesn't occur to Shiro that Lance's flirting could be a problem until it suddenly is.

 

Well, ok. The problem isn't _really_ Lance flirting, per say: Shiro has no issue with Lance flirting, when he's flirting with _them_ (obviously). The problem is that Lance seems to have some infuriating compulsion to flirt with _everyone_.

 

And if it's bothering Shiro, it's driving Keith absolutely nuts.

 

Hunk is one thing: They meet Hunk on a sunny afternoon when Lance drags him over to Keith and Shiro's apartment for a formal introduction. Hunk is a large, friendly man with a bright smile and a warm nature. He regards Keith and Shiro with amusement, then says, in a bland, casual tone "So you're the 'sexy-ass motherfucking model level eye-candy across the way, holy shit Hunk, you should see the muscles on these guys' that Lance keeps waxing poetic over."

 

Lance squawks indignantly.

 

Shiro decides that he really likes Hunk, even if Lance keeps draping himself all over the man like a human cape. Hunk puts up with Lance's clinginess with the patient affection of a close friend and Shiro just can't get jealous over that.

 

Everyone else though....

 

It's not like Lance is actively trying to pick anyone up. At least, not as far as Shiro can tell. He just....has a flirty nature. It's...fine. At first. But the more time they spend with Lance, the stronger the urge to interpose himself between Lance's bright, inviting smile and the cute barista, or librarian, or store clerk, or concession worker or beach bunny or....basically anyone, really, because Lance's only criteria seems to be a pulse...grows. And Shiro really hates losing control of himself like this, but it gets harder and harder to deal with as he becomes more and more attached. He bites his tongue though, because he doesn't want to be _that_....guy? Boyfriend? Lover?

 

It might be about time they had that little chat they had been putting off.

 

It comes to ahead one day at the food court of their local mall.

 

Lance had asked Keith and Shiro to go with him to pick out a gift to send back to one of his sisters for her birthday, promising to pay for lunch if they would brave the toy store with him.

 

"I need emotional support." He had said gravely, which they had quickly learned actually meant that he needed adultier adults there to restrain him when he tried to buy out half the store for himself.

 

And everything is going well, until Keith comes stomping over to the table Shiro had picked out for them, sans Lance but plus a murderous expression, and slams his tray down with so much force that it splattered tiny drops of ketchup.

 

"Where's--"

 

"Flirting with the cashier." Keith growls, then stalks off.

 

Yeah, definitely time to have that talk then. Probably overdue, actually, and that's Shiro's bad. 

 

He steals Keith's carton of fries and waits.

 

About five minutes later Lance comes strolling over. He smiles at Shiro, but the smile falls when he realizes that Keith is nowhere to be seen.

 

"Where's our favorite bad hairday?" He asks, looking around like Keith is hiding behind the potted plant or something.

 

"Sulking because you were flirting with the cashier again." Shiro says, keeping his voice as neutral as he can. "He'll be back once he cools down a little."

 

Lance splutters, looking offended.

 

"I wasn't flirting, she asked me what kind of moisturizer I use! What kind of monster would I be to withhold that information?"

 

Shiro holds up his hands as a sign of peace.

 

"You have a flirty delivery, Lance. You can't really blame us for being jealous."

 

"J-!" Lance makes an odd noise in the back of his throat, expression caught between outraged and panicked. "But I wasn't-!!"

 

"I know!" Shiro says quickly. "But-"

 

"You can't just get mad at me for _talking_ to people!" Lance steamrolls over him.

 

"I know!" Shiro says again, a little confused. "Lance-"

 

"I mean, what the fuck, Shiro, si no confías en mí deberías decirme!"

 

" _ **Lance!**_ " Lance's mouth clicks audibly shut. Shiro pinches the bridge of his nose and breaths in deeply, then out. _Patience yields focus_ he reminds himself. "Sit down please." He says, a bit more calmly. Lance glowers, but slides into the seat across from him. "I think" he says slowly "that we need to talk."

 

Lance's eyes widen His shoulders slump. Just like that, all of the fight leaves him.

 

"Ok, fine." He says stiffly, looking down at his tray. He picks up a fry and nibbles at it.

 

And that's how Keith finds them when he finally turns back up twenty minutes later: Lance has yet to say a word, hasn't really responded to Shiro's tentative attempts at conversation, and Shiro is becoming increasingly worried. What did he do? How did that spiral so far out of his control?

 

"What did you _do_ to him?" Keith demands sotto voce on their way back to the car. Shiro shrugs helplessly.

 

"I told him his flirting was making us jealous and that we needed to talk."

 

Keith narrows his eyes.

 

"Just like that?"

 

"What?"

 

"Did you phrase it just like that? 'We need to talk?'"

 

"I guess?" Shiro tips his head, confused. They both steal a glance at Lance, trailing quietly behind the two of them, still looking dejected and...worried.

 

Oh.

 

Wait.

 

"Oh fuck me." He says a little more loudly than he had intended. Lance flinches and looks up at him in alarm.

 

"What?" He asks. Keith snickers beside him and slips over to Lance to wrap a protective arm around his waist.

 

"And you tell me _I'm_ hopeless at communication." he say, looking entirely too smug.

 

Shiro groans.

 

*~*~*~*

Keith rides home in the back seat with Lance. Lance seems a little confused -- mood whiplash, Shiro assumes. Poor guy -- but he doesn't protest when Keith manhandles him out of the car and up to their apartment.

 

"Hey, so sit down for a sec, ok?" He says, pushing Lance towards the couch. Lance goes without complaint, though he's starting to look a little annoyed. Shiro follows them quietly, interested to see what Keith is planning and still feeling a little guilty.

 

"So..." Lance says after a moment, when all Keith does is stare at him "what did you want to talk about?"

 

Keith hums, then plops down on the couch next to Lance. He sets quietly for a moment, then tips sideways so that his head is on Lance's lap.

 

"This ok?" He asks. Lance's brows scrunch in confusion.

 

"Yes?" He says. His hand sinks into Keith's hair. Keith makes a pleased sound.

 

"Good. 'Cause I kind of want to take a nap. Here. With you. Because you're my boyfriend." He peers up at Lance. "Unless you don't want to be, which would suck, but it's cool, but you need to, you know, let me know --" Shiro can almost see Lance's hackles starting to raise.

 

"Is this about the flirting thing? Because I already told Shiro, I'm not--"

 

"You are."

 

"I. Am. Not!"

 

"Guys!" Shiro snaps. Keith takes a deep breath.

 

"Look." Lance says woodenly. His face is flushes and he's glowering unhappily at the far wall. "I'm sorry if I'm like, really friendly, or whatever, but I'm not _trying_ to flirt with anyone, ok? And I'm getting really sick and tired of people jumping on me for trying to have a conversation. So just..." he runs his free a hand through his hair. "...lay off."

 

"We weren't trying to imply anything." Shiro says quietly. "I just wanted you to know why Keith was upset. That's all. We haven't really discussed where we stand in this relationship, so..." he sighs and flops down on Lance's other side. "Lets start this conversation over, ok?"

 

"...ok."

 

Shiro smiles and holds out his hand. After a moment, Lance takes it and folds their fingers together.

 

"Ok. So, Keith and I really like you Lance. A lot. We want to try a relationship with you, if you are ok with that. And we knew going in that you are a flirt. It's part of your charm" he adds quickly when Lance's expression starts to cloud over again "and we wouldn't have you any other way and we are _not_ accusing you of...of cheating or anything like that. But knowing something and seeing something are two different things, so we're going to get jealous when you smile and chat with the pretty waitress. Especially since we haven't really talked about how you feel about this whole...threesome thing. I wasn't trying to take it out on you, I swear."

 

Lance is quiet for along moment, but he doesn't pull his hand away and he doesn't stop stroking Keith's hair. Finally he sighs and tips his head back.

 

"I'm really bad at actual relationships." He says slowly. Shiro's heart sinks. "I mean, sex, yes, I'm sexy as hell, ok, but I have an awful...um.. record with relationships that last more than a month? I really like spending time with you guys though, and I'd like to, you know, keep spending time with you..."

 

"But?" Shiro prompts softly. Lance tilts his head to the side and blinks at him.

 

"But nothing, that was it. I suck at relationships. FYI. But I'd still like to try one with you guys."

 

Shiro blinks. Something hot and tight loosens in his chest.

 

"Oh." He says quietly.

 

"Just don't jump on me about having friends and talking to people and shit, alright? I have already been down that road once before with someone and I am not doing it again. If you start going through my phone and checking my texts and emails and telling me I can't go hang out with Hunk because I'm 'too friendly' with him, I'm gone."

 

Oh.

 

Oooh.

 

Oooooh.

 

That explained that.

 

"Psycho ex?" Keith asks sleepily from Lance's lap. Lance hums an affirmative. "That sucks."

 

"Yup." Lance says, popping his 'p.'

 

"I didn't mean it that way." Shiro says softly, because he hadn't. But, he can see now how it could have been taken that way.

 

"I know." Lance says quietly. "No big deal, just...be aware."

 

"I am now aware." Shiro says dryly.

 

"Great, so nap time now. Stop moving." Keith pokes Shiro hard in the ribs.

 

There's an awkward pause. Then, slowly, Lance leans over and tucks his head under Shiro's chin. Shiro wraps an arm carefully around his waist and maneuvers the three of them into a more comfortable position.

 

"That was a lot more complicated than it needed to be." Keith says.

 

"You started it." Shiro points out indignantly. _He_ hadn't been the one to go stomping off.

 

"Shhh." Lance says. "Boyfriend nap time, remember."

 

Keith hums in agreement. After a few minutes, Shiro hears his breathing slow and even out.

 

"Hey." he says softly into Lance's hair. Lance hums into his throat. "Are we ok?"

 

"Yeah. Going to take some getting used to."

 

"Yeah."

 

Another moment of silence. Shiro watches the afternoon sunlight make patterns across the ceiling.

 

"Hey." Lance says. Shiro hums. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

 

"S'ok. It happens. Just so long as we're on the same page now."

 

"Yeah."

 

Shiro lays still, watching the sun, and listens as Lance joins Keith in the land of nod. He smiles a little. It's not perfect, but they can make it work.

 

They _will_ make it work.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always kind of felt like Lance's flirty nature might come back to bite him in the ass if he were to ever land a relationship. In that, I can relate. My SO and I have had conversations about my habit of snuggling and kissing my friends. *shrug*


End file.
